Front wheel drive vehicles commonly undergo a phenomenon known as torque steer. Torque steer is a vehicle's desire to turn left or right during acceleration. The causes for torque steer are numerous. However, these causes are rooted in the component architecture of the front wheel drive vehicle.
In front wheel drive vehicles, the power plant which drives the vehicle is operationally engaged to the front wheels. The power plant drives a transaxle which in-turn drives half shafts that extend between the transmission and the vehicle's front wheels. Each half shaft extends from one portion of the transmission to a corresponding wheel. Depending on the lateral and angular location of the transmission with respect to the vehicle, each half shaft commonly has a different length and angle than the other. The difference in length and angle of one half shaft from the other creates a moment arm about the steering axis of the vehicle. As a result, when the vehicle is accelerated, the rotational torque applied to the half shafts causes the vehicle to steer. This effect creates an unintended tendency for the vehicle to steer, which is undesirable for a vehicle driver. Numerous other causes for a vehicle torque steer also exist such as asymmetric tire slip. The present invention was developed in light of these and other drawbacks.